Once, some years ago, I told my students (we had been putting together a list of things we knew about Michel de Montaigne’s likes and dislikes, in an attempt to get a handle on his style) that our passionate dislikes—however trivial and irrational—say much more about us than the things we like. This struck them as unduly negative; they dissented. . . .

(I don’t hate nutmeg, I’m just not crazy about it—also I do not believe it belongs in creamed spinach, an otherwise delicious food. On the other hand, I dislike dill so much that I almost feel it’s poisonous. But I am very fond of cilantro, and it is clear that many people feel as strongly negative about cilantro as I do about dill. Conclusion: neither should be banned. . . .)

About Me

I have published four novels and two books about eighteenth-century British literature; my latest book is "Reading Style: A Life in Sentences." I teach in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.